stacy



APR. PHOTO-LITHO. C0, hx (OSBURNE'S PROCESS) UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

M. E. STACY, OF FLEMINGTON, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN VAY, OF SAME PLACE.

ARRANGEMENT 0F VALVES IN STEAM-CYLINDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,718, dated June 30, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, M E. STAcY, of Flemington, in the county of Liberty and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Arrangements of Valves in Steam- Engines; and I hereby declare that the following is a true, exact, and full description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a front elevation and artial section through the center line of, cy inder, steam chest, and valve. Fig. 2, is a side elevation. Fig. 3 a plan view of the whole engine constructed according to my invention.

To enable others to construct and to use my improvement in steam engines, I shall now proceed to describe the construction and arrangement of parts and their operation.

The device I employ to transmit the movement of two reciprocating pistons working up and down in steam cylinders to a revolving crank is the ordinary working beam supported at or near its center. A beam B, is cast or otherwise secured in a rigid manner to it. This beam has a vibrating motion which is transmitted to a crank by connecting rods or any other means.

The arrangement of these parts is left to the judgment of the constructor. In the annexed di awing I have shown th'e axles of the working beam supported in two journals placed upon 2 columns. The piston rod is guided in brackets K and is secured to the ends of the working beam by a double set of connecting rods C.

The principal feature of my improvement relates to the admission of steam to and its emission from the cylinders, which is effected by a peculiar and new disposition of valves arranged in relation to the cylinders in the manner hereinafter described.

The steam chest forms the pedestal or bottom of the whole engine. The steam is conveyed into it by means of i es through the orifices E, E. The steam the whole chest and penetrates the cylinders from below through the apertures a, al. The

latter are in the immediate vicinity with the exhaust channels m m, and are so constructed and arranged in relation to said channel that they may be acted upon readily and simultaneously by valves of a peculiar construction. These consist of a spherical body S mounted upon a rod fu, which is secured to the end of a working beam l). At right angles to the rod r is secured a hemispherical valve u extending so far as to correspond to the port m. The bearing surfaces or seats of the valves are such as to close hermetically the corresponding orifice.

The play of the valves is readily understood. When the beam b oscillates it opens and shuts alternately the openings a and m'. e., when the ball S ascends it will intercept the access of steam by closing the orifice a. The steam in the cylinder can thus escape through the channel m. On the descendin stroke of the beam b the channel m is c osed and the valve S is opened, whereby fresh steam is admitted into the cylinder.

Having now explained the working of the valves, I have to describe their operation in connection with the other parts of my improved steam engine.

The pressure the steam exerts upon the spherical valves is in direct proportion to the area exposed to the action of steam. Supposing now that the valve beam is so inclined as to close one valve While it opens the other, it is evident that the latter is pressed in all directions, t'. e., all forces are normal to the sphere, therefore acting toward its center, while the former exposing the under hemisphere only to the action of steam, and the forces having a resultant which keeps the valve closed until the equilibrium is established by allowing the escape of steam, when the piston in the opposite cylinder shall have risen to the point of escape at w. At the same moment the steam pressure from the chest will close the spherical valve and open the channel m. The reverse operation takes place in the other cylinder, where the piston ascends.

This arrangement in steam engines is very advanta eous considering the simplicity of the who e apparatus, no valve rods, no

packing, or stuffing boXes being required; cylinders herein described, operating in the 10 Cams, or ecoentries or cranks to Work the manner and for the purpose set forth. Valve rod are done away with, the cylinders In testimony whereof I have signed my are cast in one piece, and require no heads, g name to this specification before tWo sub- 5 no packing, no bolts, etc. i seribing Witnesses.

Having now fully described my improve- M. E. STACY. ment, What I claim and desire to secure by Witnesses: Letters Patent, s- JOHN S. NORMAN,

The arrangement of valves in steam STEPHEN S. PERRY. 

